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RABC receives another award

Mamta Lulla/Cold Lake Sun

Monday, April 17, 2017
12:19:11 MDT PM

Rural Alberta Business Centre (RABC) advisor Kathryn Hotte (middle) accepted an award recently under the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) category for small community presented by Economic Developers Alberta (EDA). Presenting the award were Minister of Economic Development and Trade Deron Bilous and President of EDA Sara Chamberlain.

EDA presented the local business centre with an award under the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) category for small community/region with a population under 25,000 for its Raising the Roof in Rural Alberta initiative.

Rural Alberta Business Centre advisor Kathryn Hotte accepted the award. Hotte was also one of the presenters at this year’s award ceremony held in Banff, Alta.

The Cold Lake Rural Alberta Business Centre had various achievements this year such as a 60 per cent increase in number of clients and a 50 per cent increase in workshop participants.

The centre also had several RABC business incubator graduates this year who have had increases in their business. The incubator program provides new businesses (under two years old) with guidance, mentorship, advice, free workshops and a space to rent.

“Our focus on outreach to the community with partnerships, and our usual marketing and PR to increase our exposure and our wonderful WOW’s (Wisdom & Opportunities for Women) got a lot of attention,” explained Hotte.

The local RABC received the same award last year under the same category.

Hotte said that the conference is a popular one in the province and more than 400 delegates were in attendance at the event in Banff this year.

Attendees included economic development officers, city/town mayors and councillors, CEOs and executive managers from industry leaders.

The theme at the conference this year was Embracing Change, Creating Opportunity.

As a presenter at the event, Hotte chose to share Cold Lake’s success story. She added that after her presentation called ‘Innovate and Incubate’, many attendees were waiting to speak to her about the specifics of the incubation program.

She has been invited to conduct presentations in other communities in the North East region who also have an interest in business incubation.